June Creator of the Month: Thosehallowedhalls
Please welcome this month’s Creator of the Month is @thosehallowedhalls.
Each month, CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers or artists. The writer or artist is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page. Past COTM's can be found here.
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1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?
I can't remember exactly. 2021, I think? Laws of Attraction was on its tenth chapter.
2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?
I joined in January of this year. I was upset with Crimes of Passion 2, so I wrote a couple of stories about it. I had deactivated my old Tumblr long ago, so I had to open a new one.
3- How did you pick your blog name?
I love old buildings - the history, the ambiance. I tried hallowedhalls, but it was taken, so I added the article.
4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!
Alain de Botton
I… have zero recollection of this post. But I'm big on nostalgia and mourning past times, so the fact that this was my first post tracks.
5- Do you write fanfiction, create fan art, or are you one of those really gifted people who do both?
I write fanfiction. I've been teaching myself to draw, but I'm not anywhere near close to sharing what I do.
6- How long have you been creating for Choices and for any other fandoms?
I started writing fanfiction way back in… 2010? For about four or five years. Then I stopped until December 2023.
7- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to create for?
Crimes of Passion on both counts.
8- Share your first Choices fanfic or fan art that you posted with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were creating it today?
That would be The 2 AM Christmas Tree Farm, inspired by The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I do still like it, but I would tighten up the writing a bit. I had barely written any fiction for several years at that point, and the lack of practice shows.
9- What is your favorite piece of fiction or art that you created?
I keep going back and forth between The 2 AM Christmas Tree Farm and Home Without. Both are angsty short series.
10- Do you have a fic/art that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to do well but found it could use a little more love?
I was taken aback by the comments on The 2 AM Christmas Tree Farm. I'd posted it on AO3 a few weeks before, and had gotten a handful of kudos and one comment, but within 24 hours of posting it here, I had several lovely reblogs. It was a welcome surprise. Stories with fewer comments… I guess Home Without. The first chapter got quite a bit of love, but by the time the final chapter rolled around, fewer people were interacting.
11- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?
I love a balance, but I'd say angst with a happy ending. I enjoy the breadth of emotions angst lets you explore.
12 - Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?
There are bits and pieces of me in all of them. Emma has my sarcasm, and Raine has my need to look for the best in people. There may be more, but if so, it wasn't done intentionally.
13 - What element of writing/art do you struggle with most?
Perfectionism. Like I said before, the lack of writing practice shows. I know that the only way to get better is to keep writing, but I hate seeing the gap between what I do and what I want to do. Catch-22.
14 - Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?
My Sebastyan x Emma fic, Of Cloudless Climes and Starry Skies. There are only a couple of chapters left, but I've been struggling with it for a couple of months now.
15 - If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to see your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you show them first?
Oh, hell no.
16 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing or art? Are there any artists that influence you?
So many writers have influenced my writing throughout the years, including authors I do not currently read. The Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, Nora Roberts, Jane Austen, Courtney Milan, Alyssa Cole… I could go on and on. Fanfic writers… There are a lot, but off the top of my head, @inlocusmads, @coffeewithcutcaffeine, @gaiuskamilah, @aria-ashryver, @jerzwriter, @dutifullynuttywitch, @aces-and-angels, @petalouda85, and @storyofmychoices. I know there are more.
17- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?
Home Without. I'm a sucker for good pining, and I'd love to see all that mutual longing play out onscreen - not to mention that reunion.
18- Do you write original fiction or create non-fandom art?
I do. I'm currently working on a horror short story, a MG novel, and a dual timeline mystery that's still in the research stages.
19- What other hobbies do you have?
Reading, non-fandom writing, drawing, learning new things (especially languages!), going on walks, and drinking enough coffee to alarm medical professionals anywhere.
